A Thousand Miles
by Sanddobby
Summary: What happens when Bit finally tells Leena how he feels? My first zoid fic. R+R!!!!!! Sorry about the screw-up with the no spaces on chapter 5. i fixed it!
1. Needless Tears

Disclaimer: If you haven't already read my other stories, that I must tell you that I AM REBELLING AGAINST ALL DISCLAIMERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASE JOIN ME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  
  
Warning: Swearing, but nothing much worse.  
  
Note: The title won't make sense until later. I would like some PRODUCTIVE FEEDBACK from all you people out there regarding the argument in this chapter because I don't know if it's too good. This is my first Zoids fanfic, my first really sad/romantic (with a little funny thrown in to balance) fanfic (Unless you count my story Potter the Otter in that category), and will soon be my first songfic (Later) so don't make fun of it because I worked really hard and I've never written anything like this before.  
  
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A Thousand Miles  
  
  
  
Chapter 1: Needless tears shed  
  
Bit Cloud sat on the bed in his darkened room, his head in his hands. His eyes were burning from crying for hours, and fresh tears began to pour out of his eyes when he remembered what had happened earlier that day…  
  
…"What, Bit?" said Leena as she turned away from her computer.  
  
"Umm…well…I have to tell you something."  
  
"Well, hurry up, I'm busy."  
  
Bit began to sweat a little. "Well…umm…I…umm…well…I'm…in…uh…l…l…"  
  
"Spit it out Bit!" She yelled irritably.  
  
He took a deep breath. "I'm in love with you." He said quickly.  
  
Silence fell. She stared at him for a minute. He felt himself turning bright red. She stood and walked over to him. She looked into his eyes for a minute, then raised her hand and slapped him.  
  
"What the hell was that for?!" He yelled.  
  
"You son-of-a-bitch! Why are you playing with my feelings like this?"  
  
"I'm not! I'm telling the truth!"  
  
"Yah, right, and I'm a purple cow. And even if you were telling the truth, I'm already in love with Harry, and I could never love someone like you!"  
  
Bit felt hot tears pouring form his eyes. He turned and ran out of the room. He went to his bedroom and sat in the dark for hours, crying…  
  
…"And I could never love someone like you!" The words echoed for the hundredth time in his head, causing the tears to fall again.  
  
******************  
  
Leena was having a hard time too. After Bit left, she stood there, stunned by what happened, what she said, and mostly what he had said.  
  
"I'm in love with you." The words echoed in her mind, over and over. She felt herself beginning to cry. She had looked deep into his eyes in that moment before she slapped him, and saw the truth there. He was telling the truth. He loved her. She backed up against the wall, and sunk down to the floor, shaking with silent sobs. 'Why couldn't I have told him the truth?' she thought, 'He had the courage to tell me, why couldn't I have the courage to tell him?' She buried her head in her hands, and let the tears fall. 


	2. Advice

Note: Ok, to answer someone's question, this is a B/L fic. Thanks for all the reviews!!!!!!! I can't believe I got so many in such a short amount of time! Thank you DarkFocus for the idea to have Bit go talk to someone about Leena! I'm using it, but changing it around a little… oh and '' denote thoughts, and "" denote speech.  
  
I know that this may not be the best, but I'm working my way through a really severe writers block!  
  
*************  
  
Chapter 2: Advice  
  
"Naomi?" Leena asked.  
  
"Yah Leena?"  
  
"I need some advice."  
  
The woman patted the couch beside her. "Sure. Come on over. Sit down." Leena sat. "So, what do you need help with?"  
  
"Well, um, you know a lot about guys, don't you?"  
  
Naomi shrugged. "Oh, I know something. Brad's still teaching me." (Oh, by the way, Naomi and Brad are engaged and Naomi is living with him and the Blitz team) "Why? Guy trouble?"  
  
"Well what should you do if a guy tells you he loves you and you like him too but you're too afraid to tell him so you say a bunch of stuff to protect yourself but you say all the wrong things and…*deep breath*…you really hurt him and he runs away crying?"  
  
Naomi stared blankly at Leena. "Excuse me?"  
  
Leena took a deep breath and began to repeat the whole thing over. "Well, what if…"  
  
"Don't, please don't." Naomi said. "Maybe you should give me some specifics."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"What did you say to him?"  
  
"I said 'I could never love someone like you' and I said that I didn't believe him and I slapped him."  
  
"Ooh, ouch. Not a good situation."  
  
"So, what should I do?"  
  
"Well, who was it?"  
  
"Why do you have to know?"  
  
"Well, every guy is different, so like if it was…say…Harry, then you could probably just go up to him and apologize, and every thing would be okay. But if it was…say…Jamie, then you would have to go further then an apology, because he's much … shall we say…deeper then Harry. What I'm saying is some guys bruise easily, and some don't. Some are more sensitive to things like that then others.  
  
"I guess that makes sense."  
  
"So, who was it?"  
  
"It was…Bit."  
  
Naomi sat quiet for a minute, then chuckled. "I always could see sparks between you two."  
  
"Will you cut that out and tell me what I'm supposed to do?" Leena yelled.  
  
"Fine, fine. No need to get all touchy. Well, as far as I can see, you're in a pretty sticky situation. I don't know much about Bit. I know he's very proud. By saying what you did, you definitely seriously hurt his pride. I don't think he's very sensitve, so you must have really hurt him by making him cry. I think the best thing to do is to apologize and tell him how you feel, then tell him why you told him otherwise. If you just apologize, then he'll still carry the wounds you dealt him, and they might eventually kill him someday."  
  
Leena sighed. She knew that Naomi was right. She would have to tell him. She nodded. "Thanks." Then she stood and left.  
  
'Poor kids.' Naomi thought to herself. 'I hope everything turns out ok.'  
  
******************  
  
Bit needed advice too.  
  
"Hey, Brad?"  
  
"Hmm?" The man looked up from his book.  
  
"I need some advice."  
  
"Sure. Just don't ask me anything about Shakespeare. I know nothing." He threw down the book, which was Romeo and Juliet, given to him by Naomi a week ago.  
  
"Why would I need advice about Shakespeare?"  
  
"That isn't the point. Now, what's your problem?"  
  
"I have girl trouble."  
  
"Spill."  
  
Bit took a deep breath. "What should I do if there's this girl I'm in love with and I tell her that I love her but then she slaps me and says that she's in love with someone else and she really hurts me?"  
  
Brad blinked. "Excuse me?"  
  
"Is that all you have to say? I tell you my problem, hoping for good advice, and all you have to say is EXCUSE ME?" Bit yelled.  
  
"Okay, okay, sorry. What exactly did she say to you?"  
  
"Well, she said she was in love with someone else, and she slapped me, and she said 'I could never love someone like you!'"  
  
"Ooh, ouch."  
  
"So? What do I do?"  
  
"Get over it."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Get over it. Get on with your life. Forget about this girl. Obviously, she doesn't like you, and that's her problem. Not yours. There are other fish in the sea. Find someone else."  
  
"Umm, thanks, I guess."  
  
"Anytime."  
  
******************  
  
As Bit walked out of the room, he thought about what Brad had said. He was right. Leena would have to be forgotten, if he was ever going to have any peace of mind. But that couldn't happen while he was still here. He smiled to himself. He knew what he had to do.  
  
******************  
  
END OF CHAPTER 2  
  
Ooh, little preview of things to come! 


	3. Goodbyes Are Hard Enough

Wow!!!!!!!! Thanks so much for all the reviews! I've never gotten this many on a story before!!! Hope you all like this new chapter!!!!  
  
Oh, and a little note on Brad: I really wish that you wouldn't flame him!!! He was just being a guy who had never had his heart broken before (I just recently gained a whole new respect for him after seeing the episode where he gets the shadow fox)  
  
Note: The reasons that the chapters are coming a little slow are A., I'm working through a major writer's block, and B., I have three other stories to work on, and C., I have a HUGE amount of homework due lately. Sorry for any inconvenience!!!!  
  
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Chapter 3: Good-byes are hard enough…  
  
  
  
The next morning was dark and rainy, not to match anyone's mood. Everyone was excited about a battle later that day with the Jusckor Team, who were ranked third in the entire class S. Everyone was confident, considering that they were ranked number five, after moving up at an incredible rate. Over the breakfast table, there was much exchange of laughter and good humor. Everyone was arguing about how to spell the Jusckor Team's name, when Jamie happened to glance at the door. Bit was standing there, silently looking on. The others turned to see what Jamie was looking at. The room grew silent as all eyes turned to Bit.  
  
"What are you standing there for, Bit? Come join us." Doc called.  
  
Without a word, Bit walked slowly to the table, and sat down. He silently began eating.  
  
"You know, I still think it's spelled J-U-S-K-O-R." Brad said, breaking the silence.  
  
*****************  
  
A little later, when everyone was done with his or her meal, Naomi asked, "Are you ok, Bit? You haven't said anything all morning."  
  
Bit didn't respond. He sat there, his head bent, looking down at the table. Silence filled the room once more. Then, he raised his head and said simply, "I'm leaving."  
  
Leena mouth fell open. "What?"  
  
His eyes met hers, and she could see the pain and resentment boiling beneath them. "I'm leaving. Departing. Skipping out. Fleeing. Running away. Exiting. You know, leaving. And I doubt I'll ever come back."  
  
Silence fell again. Everyone stared at him in shock. No one could think of anything to say. Until Jamie voiced the question that was on everyone's minds: "Why?"  
  
Bit smiled secretively. "For reasons of my own that I have absolutely no intention of sharing with any of you. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go pack." With that, he stood, and left. Everyone stared, dumbstruck, at the door.  
  
"Oh my god." Naomi said.  
  
*****************  
  
Later, in the hanger, Bit was getting Liger-0 ready to leave. He was so busy, he didn't notice Leena walk in behind him. "Hey." She said.  
  
He spun around. "What are you doing here?" He snapped.  
  
"Well…I…just wanted to tell you that you should stay."  
  
Bit turned back to Liger. "Why? You've made it clear enough that I'm not wanted here."  
  
"THAT'S why you're leaving?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious?"  
  
"No…you've got it all wrong…I…"  
  
"Oh, now you're coming to me with an apology?" he interrupted. "I can't believe you. You rip out my heart, throw it on the ground and shoot a couple hundred rounds at it with your Gunsniper, and think you can just walk right up to me and apologize?! Let me tell you, Leena, that we're way past apologies now. That's why I'm leaving. So I can forget about you and the way you broke my damn heart. Now do you know what I think? I think you should just take your damn, fucking 'apology', AND SHOVE IT UP YOUR DAMN, FUCKING ASS!!!!!" He screamed. He stood there, breathing hard after his outburst. Leena felt hot tears springing to her eyes. She didn't even try to hold them back. She turned and bolted, sobbing. As Bit watched her go he could feel tears beginning to trickle out of his own eyes. He banged Liger's leg with his fist. "Nice going, Bit Cloud. You just chased away the girl you love, and the one thing that might change your mind and make you stay. God damn you." He cursed. He leaned back against his zoid, sobbing openly. "God damn you."  
  
*****************  
  
Later that day, everyone assembled in the hanger to see Bit off. "Just won't be the same without you, buddy," Jamie sniffed. "I'll miss you. We all will."  
  
"I'll miss you guys too." Bit replied.  
  
"I still can't understand why you're leaving." Doc wondered.  
  
"This is just something I have to do. I can't tell you why. Anyway, you'll probably find out sometime soon by yourself."  
  
"Ok." Doc said in an unsatisfied manor.  
  
"Well, I guess I'm off…wait, where's Leena?" He looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen.  
  
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her for a while either." Said Brad. "Does anyone know where she is?"  
  
"Last time I saw her was about an hour ago. She was heading toward the hanger. Know anything, Bit?" asked Naomi.  
  
"Um…well…I did see her come in here but…um…I…er…didn't get to talk to her…exactly?"  
  
"Ok, what did you do?"  
  
"Well, she came in here and started bugging me about why I was leaving. So I sorta yelled at her. A lot." He lied.  
  
"Well, she should be down here anyway to say good-bye, even if she is pissed at you." Brad said. "Want me to go get her?"  
  
"Nah." Bit said. "If she doesn't want to say good-bye, then she doesn't have to." He looked around and sighed. "It's just so strange, thinking that I'll probably never see this place again."  
  
"It's even stranger, thinking that we'll probably never see you again." It was Leena.  
  
"Well, Leena, how nice of you to join us." Bit said. Even though he tried to hide it, the contempt was plain in his voice.  
  
"I just came to say good-bye." She said in a choked voice. "And no matter what happens, I'll never forget you. No matter how much you hate me, how much you curse me, and how much you try to forget me, I will never forget you. I will always remember you as a…a friend. Good-bye." She turned, and walked out of the hanger.  
  
Everyone watched her go, then turned to look at Bit. There were tears in his eyes.  
  
"Um…did something happen between you two that we don't know about?" asked Jamie.  
  
Bit sniffed as he wiped his eyes. "No…nothing…really. Well, um, I guess I'm off. Good-bye." He hugged everyone in turn, then climbed up into Liger's cockpit. "Oh, by the way, thanks for letting me take Liger, Doc!" He called down.  
  
"No problem. No-one else can pilot it anyway."  
  
Bit waved down at them all. "Bye!" he yelled. The cockpit closed, Liger roared his good-byes, then walked out of the hanger. Once he was outside, he broke into a run, and was gone, bounding swiftly across the desert in a flurry of rain and mud.  
  
"God," muttered Brad, "I didn't think that he'd take my advice this far."  
  
****************  
  
Leena watched them go from a window on the second floor of the base. Tears were pouring like the rain down her face. She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Get over him, Leena. He's not coming back. Just forget about him. There are plenty other fish in the sea." She sighed. "Who'd want to fall in love with a fish, anyway?"  
  
***************  
  
I hope everyone liked this chapter!!!!!!!!! I worked a really, really long time on it. I was going to make it a songfic, but I couldn't decide what song to make it to, so I didn't. I'd like to thank sundragoness and her story Tangled Emotions for the idea to make Bit leave, and my friend Anna for the other fish in the sea joke. Luv ya all!!!! Grath 


	4. Don't look back

Note: sorry this chapter is a little short and a little late. I've been working through a major writer's block here and the day I broke it, the website boke down so I couldn't upload. And about it being short, it was a very hard chapter to write. I had absolutely no prior "arrangements" for it, so I had to start from scratch with no ideas whatsoever. It was hard. Anyway, I hope you like it!  
  
Luv ya all!!!!  
  
grath  
  
Chapter 4: Don't Look Back.  
  
"Whatever you do, don't look back." Bit told himself as Liger-0 bounded away, "If you do, then you will never be able to forget. But you have to forget, damn it!" He cursed. "That's why you left in the first place. So you might as well start forgetting now." The rain fell from the dark, gray sky and splattered on the canopy of the cockpit as Liger ran through the storm. Bit listened to it's rhythmic sound in silence. Liger roared to him through the noise. "Where are we going?" He answered his zoid. "Well, to tell you the truth, I don't really know. We'll just go where the road leads us, I guess." Liger roared again. "You're right. I should have planned this a little more. But will you cut me a little slack, here? I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible." Bit replied. Liger just growled. "Whaddaya mean, you wanted to stay for the battle this afternoon? I told you, we had to leave as soon as possible, if we were going leave at all." Bit yelled, irritably. "If we stayed for the battle then someone might have persueded us to stay! And we had to leave." The zoid didn't reply. But bit sensed his silent worries. "Don't you worry, partner." He chuckled. "We won't stop fighting, just because we left the Blitz team. There'll be many more battles in the future. You can count on it."  
  
Meanwhile.  
  
"The battle is over! The battle is over! The winner is.the Jusckor team!" "Damn!" cursed Doc, slamming his fist down on the control panel of the Hovercargo. "There goes our winning streak!" The three Jusckor pilots jumped out of their Blade Ligers and began jumping up and down cheering, "We beat the Blitz team! We beat the Blitz team!" Leena jumped out of her ruined Gunsniper. She stood back, assessing the damage. One of the legs was pretty severely damaged, and the left arm was completely destroyed. And, to top that off, she was out of ammo. "Hey, Leena!" Brad called from the cockpit of his Shadow Fox, which had sustained little damage (but still enough to knock him out of the battle), "D'you think that that thing can still walk? Or are we gonna have to leave it here?" "I think it might be able to get off the ground. How's Jamie?" "See for yourself." He pointed to the left. Leena turned and looked. The Raynos was on the ground, it's left wing separated from the main body. Jamie was hugging it about its massive neck, whining. "Poor kid. How'd Bit and the Liger make out?" "Leena, Bit left this morning. Don't you remember?' "Oh yeah. I remember. C'mon. Let's go back to the Hovercargo." She hopped back in the cockpit of her broken zoid. It stood slowly up, and began limping back to the snail shaped transport vehicle. 'God, I can't believe I forgot that Bit was gone.' She thought. She sighed. 'Remember, Leena, you have to forget about him, no matter how much you loved him. Just don't look back on all your memories of him. If you do, then you'll never be able to forget.' She sighed again. 'This isn't going to be easy.' **************** Brad sat alone on the bed in his and Naomi's room. "Okay, Brad, don't feel guilty," he told himself, "because Bit made the decision to leave on his own. You and your advice had nothing to do with it." "Nothing to do with what?" Brad jumped, and looked up. Naomi was standing in the doorway. "Oh.umm.nothing! Nothing important." He said. "You know, Brad, you're a really bad liar." She replied, "are you going to tell me, or do I have to beat it out of you?" she held up her fist. "Okay! Okay! I'll tell you!" he sighed. "Okay, two days ago Bit came to me for some advice.  
  
**************** That's it for this chapter! Hope you liked it! Again, I'm sorry it was late. The next chapter won't take this long.  
  
Luv ya all!  
  
Grath 


	5. Different Time, Different Place

Note: Thursday, July 25, 2002, a week ago, was the day of the last episode of the new Zoids, on Cartoon Netowork, before it was replaced by the old, classic Zoids (like with Van and Fiona). The people at Cartoon Network took it off for I don't know how long. Maybe forever. Please join me in a moment of silence to acknowledge the passing of a great show.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Thank you. May Bit, Leena, Doc. Tauros, Jamie, Wild Eagle Jamie, Brad, Naomi, Layon, Leon, Harry, Benjamin, Sebastian, Jack Sisquo, his teammates, Mary Champ, vega, Sarah, Altile, Stoler (the elephander guy), Peirce, the committee of 7, the rest of the Backdraft group, the Tigers/Saber Fangs/Fuzzy Pandas team, all other teams the Zoid Battle Committee, the judges(and dark judges), all other warriors and people, and, last but not least, Liger-Zero, The Berserk Fury, Jamie's Raynos and Pteras, Brad's Command Wolf and Shadow Fox, Leena and Naomi's Gunsnipers, Leon's Red Blade Liger and Shield Liger, the Elephander, the Fuma teams war sharks, the Tigers/Saberfangs/Fuzzy Pandas team's Zaber Fangs, the Storm Sworders and Zabats, Jack Sisquo's Lightning Siax(I think that's how you spell it), the Chainsaw men's Spinosappas, all Harry's Zoids, the ZBC's Ultrasaurus, and all other zoids that ever showed up in the show live in our hearts forever. Now read the story!  
  
  
  
  
  
Chapter Five: Different Time, Different Place  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
5 years later.  
  
The hot sun beat down on a single Red Horn, as it walked through the desert. Tony Malkairos wiped the sweat off his forehead, and struggled to see through the intense heat waves that rippled like water while hovering over the road in front of him.  
  
"This is what I get fer startin' out to late." He said to himself, in a heavy Southern accent. "Ray was right. I shoulda gone out at 6:00 instead of 10:00. Now I'm gonna die of thirst, unless that's the place over there." By the side of the road there was a small building, with a sight above it saying PAULA'S BAR.  
  
"Yep, that's it. That's the place." Tony said. He parked his zoid next to a Dibison and something that he had never seen before, which looked like some kind of Liger. 'Judgin' by Ray's description. I'm pretty sure that he's here.' he smiled, and walked into the bar.  
  
The AC blasted in his face. He stood there a minute, letting the coolness wash over him. Then, he took off his cowboy hat, ran his fingers through his light brown hair, and walked over to the bar. He tapped the counter, and a fat, older woman walked over.  
  
"Hello, sir! What can I get for ya?" she said in a loud, annoying voice," Ye'll be wantin' somthin' ta cool ya down after bein' out in the sun, and at midday too! I tell ya, we almost never get any new customers 'round this time 'o day, only the guys that came 'round earlier. Anyone out in this heat is a foo."  
  
Tony cut her off. "Actually, ma'am, I'm just here ta meet someone. Is there anyone here by the name o' Bit Cloud?"  
  
"Yessir, there is. Comes round here ev'ry day, that one does. He's right over in the corner there." She pointed to a table far in a dark corner of the room with a single figure sitting at it, with his feet up on the table.  
  
"Thanks ma'am." Tony got up and walked over to the table. "You Bit Cloud, the mercenary?" he said. He tried to get a better look at that man at the table, but his face was too hidden in shadow to see his features.  
  
"Who 's asking?" came the reply.  
  
'Tony Malkairos, of the Hayden team."  
  
"Yep. I'm Bit Cloud. So why are you talking to me?"  
  
"I want ta hire ya fer a battle 'r two."  
  
"You in class-S?"  
  
"Yessir, we are in Class-S. Why?"  
  
"Cause I only fight for Class-S teams."  
  
"Oh."  
  
"How much money you got?"  
  
"As much as yer askin'."  
  
"What's your rank?"  
  
"35th."  
  
"What kind of zoids do you have?"  
  
"A Dark Horn, an' two Red Horns."  
  
"Fine. I'll fight with you." Bit said.  
  
He stood up, and raised his head into the light. Tony found himself looking into the face of a 21-year-old man, with stunning green eyes, and a red bandanna covering his hair, but Tony could still see that it was blond. He was about 6 feet tall, and well built. He was wearing a no-sleeved denim jacket, and loose, black jeans. He had obviously cut the sleeves off the jacket himself, judging by the messy, frayed edges. He had a thick black band tattooed on his left upper arm. There was a sort of aura of power around him that was impossible for Tony to miss. He had a feeling that this man was much stronger then he looked.  
  
Everyone else in the room began whispering excitedly. Tony could hear a little pieces of what they were saying:  
  
".Look, that guy hired Bit on his first try."  
  
".almost never accepts anyone."  
  
".he's so lucky."  
  
".I tried to hire him yesterday, but."  
  
".o' course ya tried ta 'ire 'im, we all 'ave."  
  
Eager to get away from the whispers, Tony began to walk toward the door "K. Let's get goin'." he said. Bit grabbed his shoulder.  
  
"Hold it, dipwad! You're not going back out in that sun and heat, are you?"  
  
Tony turned around, chuckling. "Yer right. I guess I'm sorta eager ta show Ray how I hired a rope ta get us out of our hole!"  
  
Bit smiled. "You don't mean you expect me to help you out of a losing streak, do you? I hate to admit it, but I don't think I'm a very good mercenary."  
  
Tony laughed out loud. "Ha ha ha! What a joke!" He held his sides as if he would burst, and sat back down at the table, trying to catch his breath.  
  
Bit looked at his curiously, and sat down beside him. "What do you mean, I wasn't joking. I'm not that good a mercenary."  
  
Tony kept chuckling. "Listen, partner, I don't know why you think that, when yer the most desirable mercenary from here ta kingdom come!"  
  
Bit smiled. "So that's why everyone lines up to try and hire me everywhere I go." He chuckled, "And I've only been doing this for 5 years."  
  
"What didja do before then?" Tony asked.  
  
"I was on a team, called the Blitz team."  
  
"That's the team that won the Royal cup five years ago, isn't it?"  
  
"Yeah. I won it for them. Me and my Liger Zero were the best ones on the team."  
  
"So that's what that zoid's called. It sure is a beauty."  
  
Bit just smiled.  
  
"But," Tony continued, "if yer such a great warrior, an' yer zoid's so amazin', then why didja wanna fight with a low-ranked team like us?"  
  
"Well, I sort of sensed that you were in need of a fabulous warrior like myself." Bit answered, grinning.  
  
Tony laughed. "Ha ha ha! Yer a funny one, Bit Cloud, an' no mistake." He stopped laughing. "But there are two things I've been meaning ta ask ya. First, why do ya only fight fer class-S teams?"  
  
"Because my team was in class-S before I left." Answered Bit.  
  
"Second, why didja leave yer team?" Tony asked.  
  
"Long story."  
  
"We got a lot 'o time."  
  
Bit smiled. "Okay then. It all started about 5 or 6 years ago. I was a junk dealer, the kind that drives around and.um.'collects' zoid parts left on battlefields after battles. Then, one day, I got caught in a battle between the Blitz team and the Tigers team, now known as the Saberfangs."  
  
**************  
  
Hours passed. Bit told Tony the whole story of him and the Blitz team, all the way through from the first time he met Liger Zero, to his departure.  
  
".so, that's how I became a mercenary. I didn't want to join another team, but I just couldn't stop fighting."  
  
Tony slapped his forehead. "Shoot, that's a helluva story an' no mistake! So, you reckon you ain't never gonna go back?"  
  
Bit shook his head. "Nope."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"I have to forget about the whole thing. I've been trying to forget for 5 years, and I haven't been able to."  
  
Tony smiled. "Well, the way you described her ta me, that Leena sounds like a pretty hard gal ta ferget."  
  
Bit nodded. "She is." He looked out a window, and noticed that the sun was going down. "Well, looks like the heat of the day has passed." He said, "We better get going."  
  
Tony nodded in agreement. Bit stood, and started toward the door. Tony got up and followed him. They stepped outside. A warm breeze was blowing, heating the otherwise cool air. The sun was hovering low near the flat desert horizon, and glowed an intense orange-red, setting the sky ablaze in a mixture of reds, oranges, yellows, and pinks. Bit sighed, as he watched the sun sink slowly lower.  
  
"What, you've never seen a sunset before?" Tony broke the silence.  
  
"Wha.? Oh.um.yeah."  
  
"C'mon! Let's get goin'!" Tony climbed into the cockpit of his Red Horn. Bit climbed into Liger's. The Red Horn began walking east, and Bit and Liger followed.  
  
*****************  
  
They reached the Hayden team's base at about 9:00 pm. The hanger door was open, so Tony went right in, stopped his zoid, and went over to a man, dressed in green (to match his green hair), working on painting a Dark Horn with a fresh coat of black paint.  
  
"Howdy, Ray!" Tony called. "Where's Ben?"  
  
"Hi, Tony!" Ray replied. "He's inside, getting dinner ready. Did you get the mercenary?"  
  
"Yessir, I did. He's right outside. I'll go get him." Tony walked back outside to Bit and Liger, and beckoned them to come into the hanger. They did, and Ray closed the door behind them. Bit jumped down from Liger's cockpit, and ray walked over to him.  
  
"So, you're the famous Bit Cloud. Pleased to meet you, my name's Ray Hayden." He held out his hand, and Bit shook it.  
  
"Hey, Ray!" someone called from across the hanger. Bit looked in the direction of the voice. There was a tall man with black hair standing in a doorway.  
  
"Hey, Ben, come over here!" Ray called. Ben came over.  
  
"Ray, there's something I need to tell you."  
  
"Ben, meet Bit Cloud, the mercenary."  
  
"Pleased to meet you. But Ray, the ZBC called."  
  
"What did they want?"  
  
"They gave us our next battle."  
  
"Well? What team are we going to fight?"  
  
"The Blitz team."  
  
**************  
  
Well, that's it for this chapter. It was long to make up for the shortness of the last one. I hope you liked it!  
  
Luv ya all,  
  
grath 


	6. An Unwanted Reunion

Note: Sorry about the space thing in chapter 5. It was the web site's fault. But I fixed it now, if you want to read it again. This is to star fairy: chaotic century is on at both times( and to Rpgirl, I do not watch Yu-Gi-Oh. Oh. I didn't know what the little videophone link thing between zoids is really called, so I just called it the vid-link. That sounds right, doesn't it? Just so you know that's what I mean by vid-link. And for all those stupid people out there who haven't ever watched the show, the ZBC is the Zoid Battle Commission. And last, I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry about how long this chapter took. First my computer crashed, so I couldn't work on the story. Then, school started and I my school gives a lot of homework. Basically I've been really busy and I barely have any time to write( I'm sorry. I hope all u guys stay as my loyal fans and give me many, many reviews(  
  
Chapter six: An Unwanted Reunion.  
  
Bit's mouth fell open with horror and shock. "Wha.wha.what?" he stammered.  
  
"The Blitz team. You know, three members, ranked number 22? We're going to fight them." Ben said, condescendingly. Bit closed his mouth, and shook his head.  
  
"Oh.uh.ok." He said quietly. Ray scratched his head, and looked questioningly at Tony.  
  
"Is he ok?" he asked.  
  
Tony nodded. "He's fine. He just has a.history.with that team."  
  
"What do you mean?" Ray asked. Tony looked to Bit, as if asking for permission. Bit nodded.  
  
"See, it's like this." Tony said, "Bit here used ta be on th' Blitz team. But then, he had some problems with one o' th' other warriors, so he left. An' he's been trying ta' ferget them ever since."  
  
"So, does that mean that you aren't going to fight them?" Ray asked Bit, somewhat suspiciously, "Because you know, you don't fight, we don't pay."  
  
Bit smiled. "Oh, I'll fight," he said, "Come to think of it, I want to see my old friends again. I sorta miss them."  
  
Ray laughed, and patted his back. "Good to hear that, Bit. Tony, get up to the tactics room, to start working on a battle strategy. Me, Ben, and Bit are going in the battle tomorrow. Bit, go up with Tony to help with the strategy. We can use your knowledge of the Blitz team against them. Ben, go grab some tools. You and me will get to work servicing the zoids. Bit, do you need anything done to your Liger?" Bit shook his head.  
  
"Even if I did, I wouldn't let you touch it." He said.  
  
"Okay." Ray said. He looked around at his team and Bit. "Well, what are you still doing here?" he yelled suddenly, "Get to work!"  
  
**************  
  
Bit followed Tony to the tactics room. Tony sat down in front of a huge computer screen and began typing on the keybord. "So, Bit." He said, without looking up, "Do ya got any 'portent info on your former team we need ta know?"  
  
"Yes I do. You know the types of zoids they have, right?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you know the warriors?"  
  
"Nosir, I don't, except fer Leena."  
  
"Okay, then I'll tell you about them. First is Jamie. He pilots the Raynos. He's a pretty good pilot, once he gets into the Raynos. Then he goes to his psycho little "Wild Eagle" mode. When he's in his psycho little "Wild Eagle" mode, he gets really cocky and brave. Watch out for a sonic boom when he breaks the sound barrier. Next is Brad. I'll take him, so you don't have to worry. The last and least powerful zoid on the team is the Gunsniper, piloted by Leena. I can explain her in one word: trigger-happy. She almost never aims at her targets. She'll be easy to take down. Just get in close where she can't use her guns."  
  
Tony had been typing furiously while Bit was relaying this information to him. "There we go." He said, "Everything's all squared away. You'll take the Shadow Fox, Ben'll take the Raynos, an' Ray'll take the Gunsniper.  
  
"Why is that?" Bit wondered.  
  
"Ray's Red Horn is equipped with an especially think plate of armor. If Leena actually scored some hits, it won't matter. An' Ben's Dark Horn is unusually light, fast and maneuverable. It only has one simple long-range rifle, but he's still the deadest shot in all o' class-S. He an' that rifle could bring down a movin' Storm Sworder 40 miles away."  
  
"Wow." Bit said, amazed. "I've never heard of a Dark Horn like that before."  
  
"O' course you haven't. Ben made it himself.  
  
"Wow." Bit said, amazed. "But if your zoids are so fabulous, then why do you keep losing?"  
  
"Ta tell ya th' truth," Tony answered, "Ah'm a real lousy pilot. Out on the battlefield, I always messed it up fer the guys. I do th' strategy thing." Both men fell silent. Hours passed, with Tony working on his strategy, and Bit looking on. Bit never could really understand the whole battle strategy thing, and this was no exception. From what he could see, a blue dot was circling around a red arrow, then a green square came and killed a purple triangle, and a yellow dot came and killed the blue dot, then a black square killed the green square.or did the green square kill the black square? I was all so confusing. As he watched the little shapes move about the screen, his head began to nod, and his eyelids drooped lower and lower.  
  
"THUD!" He woke with a start. He was lying on the floor and Tony was looking down at him. "Are you ok, Bit?" He asked, concerned.  
  
"Yeah." Bit groaned, rubbing his head, "What happened?"  
  
"Ya fell asleep, I guess." Tony said. "Standin' up, too. D'ya think it's time ta turn in?"  
  
Bit stood up, yawned, and nodded. "Yeah. I'm exhausted."  
  
"You should get some rest, partner." Tony said, patting Bit on the back, "Yer gonna win us that battle tomorra."  
  
Bit smiled. "Good night, Tony." He began to leave, when Tony called him back.  
  
"Hey, Bit."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are you going ta be okay with the battle tomorra? Seein' as yer goin up against yer old team an all."  
  
"I'll be fine, Tony. Nothing can keep me from battling. Nothing." He left the room. Ten minutes later, he poked his head back through the door. "Umm, Tony? Where do I sleep?"  
  
****************  
  
  
  
"Hey, Doc!"  
  
Doc Tauros, now 53-years-old and graying, looked up from his little models of a War Shark and a Zaber Fang. Jamie was standing in the doorway. "What is it Jamie?" He asked, annoyed at the interruption.  
  
"Doc, the ZBC just called."  
  
"What did they want?"  
  
"They gave us out next battle."  
  
Leena, who had been walking by, dropped in on the conversation. "Well, who is it?"  
  
"The Hayden team."  
  
"You mean the one with all the Dark and Red Horns? How boring." Leena said.  
  
"When's the battle scheduled for?" Doc asked.  
  
"Tomorrow, at 5:00." Jamie said.  
  
Brad, on his way to the bathroom, joined the conversation too. "How much prize money are we gonna earn?" he asked.  
  
"Twice the normal amount."  
  
"Why is that?" Leena asked.  
  
Jamie shrugged. "Beats me. Maybe their leader is really greedy, or they just hired a really good mercenary or something."  
  
"Enough talk." Doc said, "Come on, we have a battle tomorrow. Jamie, battle strategy."  
  
"Right, Doc." Said Jamie.  
  
"Leena, Brad, go work on your zoids."  
  
"Ok." They said.  
  
************  
  
The next morning was hot and dry. The Hayden team had no transport vehicle, so they piloted their zoids to the battlefield. The battlefield was nothing special, only a flat stretch of desert, with a 400-mile diameter, and some cacti along the outer edges.  
  
Naturally, since they had the transport vehicle, the Blitz Team arrived first.  
  
"Geeze, what a boring old wasteland," Leena commented.  
  
"I wonder where the Hayden team is," Brad wondered.  
  
"Maybe they don't have a transport vehicle," Jamie guessed.  
  
Doc nodded. "Considering their immense losing streak, they must have had to sell their transport vehicle to pay off their debts."  
  
Leena looked out the window across the desert, squinting. "Hey, is that them?" She asked.  
  
Jamie shook his head. "No, they're moving too fast for Dark or Red Horns."  
  
Leena kept staring. "Well, whatever it is, it's coming this way. And it doesn't look like a Dark or Red Horn." She gasped. "No, it can't be."  
  
*******************  
  
The last five years had been a living hell for Leena. When Bit left, her lively attitude left with him. She missed him every minute of every day. She rarely thought of anything but him. But most of all, she was consumed with guilt for what she did. She couldn't believe that she could have hurt the man she loved so deeply. She wasn't speaking to Brad, after Naomi found out that he had given Bit the advice to leave. Naomi had announced it to the whole team, so Leena had to tell everyone what had happened between them. What she didn't tell them was that she felt more for Bit then just friendship.  
  
Harry, on the other hand, was thrilled that Bit, his long time rival, was gone. This gave him a better chance at Leena. He constantly followed her around, even more then before Bit left. He too had heard about what had happened between Bit and Leena, and he took her saying "I'm already in love with Harry" seriously. And, on top of that, in a battle five years ago he Gunsniper was severely damaged, and had a horrible limp out on the battlefield. This meant that she couldn't battle as extremely as she wanted to. But All this was about to change, and soon her world would never be the same.  
  
****************  
  
Bit and Liger, running at the head of the group, sighted the Hovercraft. " Can ya hear me now? Good. Can ya hear me now? Good." came Tony's voice over the intercom, impersonating the Verizon Wireless commercial as he tested the new wireless intercom system Ben had rigged in the zoids, because the vid-link wouldn't work at those kinds of distances. They were a long distance from the base, where Tony had stayed, and the range of the system impressed Bit. Ray's voice came over the intercom, interrupting Tony's monotonous test.  
  
"Hey, Bit, do you see it yet?" he asked.  
  
"Yeah, I do." Bit answered.  
  
Tony went back to his Verizon Wireless commercial, until Ray yelled "For god's sake, Tony, give it a rest! We're almost there! The intercom system works fine!"  
  
The three zoids stopped about 3 miles away from the hover cargo.  
  
"Are you guys ready?" came Ray's voice over the intercom.  
  
"Ready over here, Ray!" came Ben's enthusiastic voice over the intercom.  
  
"Same here." Bit said, distractedly. He was looking at the Hovercargo, remembering all the good times he had with Doc, Jamie and Brad.and Leena.  
  
**************************  
  
Leena sat in her Gunsniper, thinking about what she had just seen. 'It has to be.but it can't be.could it?' she thought to herself. She could have sworn that she had seen Liger Zero, which would mean that "he" was back. 'No, it can't be.' she thought, shaking her head. Bit wouldn't come back. Not after what she did. 'It's probably just another mirage, 'cause of the heat.' She told herself.  
  
"Leena, are you ready to go?" came her father's voice over the intercom in her zoid.  
  
"Oh.um, yeah dad. Leena here, headin' out." The catapult hurled her out onto battlefield, alongside Brad and the Shadowfox. Jamie was up in that air. Leena looked at the team opposite the field form them. There was a Dark Horn, a Red Horn, and.the Liger Zero.  
  
She shook her head, and looked out again. The Liger was still there. She chuckled. "It probably isn't THE Liger. Bit probably just sold the plans to his Liger for some extra cash." She thought. Suddenly, a familiar voice came over the intercom.  
  
"It's been a long time, Leena."  
  
Then a picture flashed up on the vid-link screen. It was Bit. He was a little taller, a little older, and he was dressed differently, but it was definitely him. He still had the same bright green eyes, the same spiky blonde hair, although a red bandanna covered it, and the same cocky smile. Leena gasped in shock. "Bit? Is that really you?"  
  
"No, King Kong. Of course it's me!" came Bit's harsh reply.  
  
"I'm sorry, it's just that I haven't seen you in so long.and you look so different." She couldn't help blushing a little. 'God, he looks SO DAMN SEXY!' she thought. She recovered herself, and tried to make conversation.  
  
"So, how have things been going?" she asked.  
  
"Ok." He answered. "After I left, I became a mercenary. People have been lining up to hire me, so I have plenty of work, and money. Oh, and I've been trying to forget you every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year that I've been away. But I'm sure you had no problem forgetting me." He added, coldly. Leena could tell that he was still hurting after what happened five years ago.  
  
"No.Bit.you don't understand. I haven't been trying to forget you." Leena told him.  
  
"You.you haven't?" he stammered.  
  
"No!" She laughed. "Of course not! The truth is."She took a deep breath. "I.I." Suddenly, a flaming comet hurtled toward them, and slammed into the ground. It was the judge.  
  
"The Area within a 200 mile radius is now restricted." I said in its mechanized voice Only competitors and authorized personnel are allowed admittance. Battle mode 00917. The Hayden team versus the Blitz Team. Battle approved. Battlefield set up. Ready.Fight!"  
  
"Seeya!" Bit called, his image disappearing on Leena's vid-link.  
  
*****************  
  
When he had seen Leena, Bit was shocked. She was so beautiful. Of course, she was now 21, like him. Her hair was longer, and had changed from purple- red to a deep auburn. She was definitely taller, and her figure was much more slender, with curves that any woman would kill for. But she had the same deep, violet eyes. He sighed. But then he shook his head. This was no time for sentimentalities. As the judge called ready, fight, he felt his warrior blood bubbling up in his veins. This was what life was all about. Just him and his Liger, fighting as one. He looked around, and saw his target, the Shadow Fox and Brad, his friend. But friendship didn't matter on the battlefield. Nothing mattered, except the ancient bloodlust of the warrior. "Okay, Liger, let's go." He growled. Liger let out an earth- shattering roar, and charged at the Shadow Fox. The other zoid turned, seemed to freeze for a moment, then leapt out of the way, just in time, as Liger went speeding past. Brad, in the cockpit of the Shadow Fox, swore loudly, because he had let himself be caught off guard by the Liger-0. He was so stunned to see Bit, here, that he had almost been annihilated. Had little time to dwell on this, because Liger came charging back, like a runaway train. Except 1000 times faster. This time, the Shadow Fox jumped up above Liger. As the other zoid sped past beneath him, he crashed down on its back. Liger was knocked off balance for a moment, but quickly recovered himself, and made as if to charge once more. This time, as the shadow fox jumped up to hit Liger again on the back, Liger jumped up with him. They met in the air, and fell to earth, jaws lacked in combat.  
  
Meanwhile, Ben and his long-range rifle were haranguing Jamie and the Raynos. Jamie had tried every maneuver he knew, but he couldn't stop the Dark Horn's unmerciful assault. When he tried to shoot down the Dark Horn, it just dodged the shot. "God, I've never seen a Dark Horn like that before." He thought, dodging yet another bullet fired from Ben's rifle, "Ok, little boy." Came Ben's voice over Jamie's intercom. "Playtime's over." Jamie was 19 now, and no one called him a little boy. "Eat lead, bastard." He growled. He swooped low, guns blazing. This is what Ben was waiting for. He shot one bullet out of his rifle, headed straight for the Raynos's cockpit. But Jamie wasn't so blinded by rage that he couldn't see what was coming. He ducked the bullet, and rammed Ben's Dark Horn at mach 3 speeds. The zoid with its light plate of armor crumpled like a tin can. The Raynos crashed to the ground with the annihilated Dark Horn.  
  
"Hayden Team zoid number 12261, and Blitz team zoid number 83401 out of the battle!" the Judge announced.  
  
Leena was proving a more formidable foe then Bit had said. Over the five years, she had refined her battling skills, and now was a better fighter then Naomi had been before she joined the Blitz team and married Brad, and then retired from zoid battling. She was a very resourceful woman, and had taken the best sniping point on the field: on top of the Judge capsule (there weren't any rules against it). She had no problem taking out Ray's slow, lumbering Red Horn. She hit it four times in the feet, handicapping it and knocking it over. Then she hit it in the exposed underbelly, and it was all over.  
  
"Hayden Team zoid number 55033 out of the battle!" the Judge announced.  
  
"Oh yeah!" Leena cheered. "Who rules? I do!"  
  
Back at the Hayden team base, Tony swore with every word he knew.  
  
"Leena, can you give me some help over here?" came Brad's desperate voice over the intercom.  
  
Leena looked over in his direction. The Shadow Fox was running in a circle, narrowly dodging bullets shot form The Liger's shot cannon. Leena began running over, when Bit left off firing at Brad, fired a single shot at her, and got back to Brad. The shell hit The Gun Sniper in the chest, felling it immediately.  
  
"Blitz Team zoid number 55642 out of the battle!" The Judge announced once again. Bit and Brad were the only ones left in the battle. This state of equilibrium was quickly destroyed with a Strike Laser Claw from Liger.  
  
"The battle is over! The Battle is over! The winner is.The Hayden Team!"  
  
Tony, back at the base, jumped up and down, yelling "Woo hoo! Yeah!" Ben and Ray jumped out of their demolished zoid's cockpits, and hugged each other. Brad jumped out of his cockpit, and stood surveying the damage to his beloved Fox. Bit jumped out of Liger, and ran over to him. "Brad!" he called.  
  
"Hey, Bit! Long time no see, buddy." Brad replied, embracing Bit and patting him on the back.  
  
"So, what's new?" Bit asked. "How are Doc, Jamie, and Naomi?"  
  
"We're all fine. Me and Naomi got married last year."  
  
"I wasn't invited?" Bit said, jokingly indignant.  
  
"Well, you were, but we didn't know where to send the invite." Brad protested.  
  
Bit laughed. "It's okay."  
  
"So how have you been?" Brad asked.  
  
"Oh, I've been fine. I'm a mercenary now. I got people lining up to hire me, so I'm not in trouble for money."  
  
Jamie jumped out of the Raynos, and ran over. "Bit!" he called.  
  
Bit turned. "Hey, Jamie!" He replied. He and Jamie said their hellos, and Brad invited Bit to the Hovercargo for a drink. Bit looked back to Ray and Ben. They were already getting their tools out to fix their zooids to get back on the road. "Hey, do you guys need any help?" Bit called.  
  
Ray waved back "Nope, we're fine!"  
  
"Okay! Great working with you! I'll come by sometime this week to pick up my paycheck." Bit yelled back.  
  
"See ya!" Ray yelled, then he turned back to his zoid. Bit turned back to Brad.  
  
"Sure! I'd love to come up!" He said, responding to Brad's invitation.  
  
"Ok. C'mon." Brad said, beckoning. The three (with Leena trailing behind) began walking towards the Hover cargo.  
  
******************** Well, that's it for this chapter. Again, I'm so sorry that this chapter took so long. The battle scene took me a while to do. The next chapter will come much sooner.  
  
Luv ya all!  
  
Grath. 


End file.
